Tokkai Hei 10-26201 published by the Japanese Patent Office in 1998 discloses a toroidal continuously variable transmission.
This toroidal continuously variable transmission comprises an input disk connected to a rotation shaft via a ball spline, an output disk facing the input disk, and plural power rollers gripped between these disks.
The power rollers transmit a rotation of the input disk to the output disk. By varying the contact points between the power rollers and the disks, a rotation speed ratio of the input disk and output disk, i.e., the speed ratio of the continuously variable transmission, is made to vary.
For this reason, the input disk and output disk must always be in contact with the power rollers with a predetermined frictional force.
A cam flange and cam rollers are provided for this purpose. The cam flange is supported free to rotate on the rotation shaft and, according to the relative rotational displacement of the cam flange and input disk, the cam rollers exerts a thrust load on the input disk.